5th December, 2013
Nigeria aviation authorities have re-opened Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja which has been shut since Wednesday night as a result of an accident involving a B747 Saudi Air Cargo flight SVA 6814 to flights.
The aircraft veered off the taxiway as it was landing in Abuja on Wednesday night to the maintenance area of the Airport where it destroyed some equipment.
Following the incident, the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority, NEMA issued a Notice To Airmen on Thursday morning indicating that the airport had been closed to both incoming and outbound planes.
Arik and Aero Airlines, the two leading operators in the Nigeria aviation industry subsequently announced cancellation of flights into and from the capital city.
Joe Obi, the Special Assistant to Stella Oduah the Aviation minister on media said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that the damaged aircraft has been successfully recovered to the apron and the airport reopened for normal flight operations.
Joe said that it took the swift, combined emergency response effort of the Aviation agencies, Customs, the Security agencies and Fire Service Personnel to remove the aircraft.
Speaking to news men at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the airport shortly after completion of the exercise, Managing Director of NAMA, Mazi Nnamdi Udoh
regretted the inconvenience the temporary suspension of flight operations as a result of the incident had caused the travelling public. According to him, an advisory known in aviation parlance as Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has already been issued on the resumption of normal operations at the airport.
The closure of the Airport resulted into massive disruption of flights into and out of Abuja on Thursday morning. London bound passengers on British Airways, who were scheduled to leave early Thursday morning were stranded at the Airport.
Hundreds of passengers coming to Abuja were also stranded at different airports across the country as flights to Abuja were not allowed to take off.
PM NEWS gathered that the situation has led to rowdy scened among stranded passengers in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Kano among others.
It was also gathered that international flights coming into the Airport were diverted to Lagos.
A British Airways flight scheduled to land in the Airport early this morning was diverted to Lagos.